Freight-car door



July 28, 1925. 1,547,415

|. L. EDWARDS FREIGHT cm no Filed Jan. 18, 1923 ,23 j f/ gain 2/ e i g INVENTOR. 6; Z .fZw/Pza, iii

Patented July 28, 1925.

UNITED STATES ISAAC L. EDWARDS, 0F AURORA, ILLINOIS.

FREIGHT-CAR Application filed January 18, 1523.

To (115 whom it 777(11/ concern Be it known that I. ISAAC L. EDWARDS. residing at Aurora. lllinois. a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FreightCar Doors. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to doors for freight cars for the shipment of grain and other like material, and the object of lny invention is to provide a construction of door which will remain tightly closed under the pressure thereon from the grain, or other contents of the car, and yet be capable of easy closing and placing in a position where it will not in terfere with the use of the car for the shipment of lumber. furniture. or other large bodies differing in nature from grain. and to this end my invention consists in the car door having the construction substantially as hereinafter specified and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a grain door embodying my invention, the door being shown in a closed position and from the outside;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the door in an open position and looking at it from the inside of the car;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1:

Fig. 6 is a detail view in perspective of a different form of gate that may be used.

I show in the drawings a fragment of one of the side walls of a box-car having an oblong door opening. 10, finished with a frame. including a sill. 11, head, 12. and side jambs. 13. On its inner side the sill has a depression which forms a shoulder, 14, and towards the inside of the car each side jamb has a vertical groove, or channel. 15, which extends from sill to head.

My door for closing the opening is composed of two similar leaves, 16, hmged together at one edge at the transverse center of the door by a plurality of pairs of binge members (as shown three) one, 17, is situated adjacent the top of the leaves, the secend, 17*, adjacent the bottom thereof, and the third. 18, midway between the others, and a rod, 19, forming a single pintle which extends thru the vertically alining lugs of all the hinge members. Said hinges are located on the outside of the door so that when the two leaves are in alinement the adjacent DOOR.

Serial No. 613,520.

edges thereof abut and to open the door it must break inward on the hinge for the effect of pressure, as from grain on the inside of the car, is to maintain the leaves in their alining closed position. The adjacent abutting edges of the leaves are correspondingly inclined so that the joint between them is an oblique one that offers an obstacle to the outward passage of grain and as a further security to a closed joint, one of the leaves has attached to it a vertical lip, or flange. 20, which when the two leaves are in alinement covers the joint and laps over upon the adjacent portion of the other leaf. and the latter, preferably, has a vertical rib. 21. against which the free edge of said lip abuts so that the joint from the inside of the door to the outside is thus a zigzag one and a safeguard against leakage of grain, or other granular, or powdered material.

Each of the leaves. 16. at its outer edge has a thin projecting lip, 22. in the form of a metal strip which enters the vertical groove. or recess. in the adjacent side jamb, and preferably such lip is serrated. or saw-toothed. so even though grains of wheat, or other similar material. be lodged in the grooves. the lips nevertheless. by reason of their sharpness. will readily penetrate the same and thus lodge in the recess or grooves. The bottom edges of the two leaves when the door is in closing position abut on their outer side against the shoulder. 14. on the door sill.

To take the pressure off the closed door, as when it is desired to open the same, one or more gated openings are provided. As shown, there is such an opening, 23, thru each leaf near the lower outer corner. thereof for which a hinged gate, 24. is provided which may be in the form of a simple plate and which is held in its closed position by a latch dog. 24* pivoted above the gate so as to engage therewith at its lower end. The gate may be swung on its hinge thru substantially a half circle so that it will completely uncover the hole and remain in such position without any danger of accidently covering the hole because it swings to the opposite side of its pivot from the hole and is arrested in such position by an adjacent projecting surface on the door. As shown in Fig. 6 the gate. 240, may swing outward, being held in closed position by a sliding bolt, 241.

In order to prevent the complete detachment and removal of the door from its car which might result in its being misplaced or lost. I attach to one of the leaves one end of a chain. whose, outer end is fastened to a staple. or ball. 26. secured to the side of the ear. the door leaf with \vhieh the chain is ('onneeted heing provided with an eye. :27. for this purpose. The chain has sueh length that it allows free manipulation of the door for closing and opening the same and for placing the door in a position inside of the car so that when the ear is not to he used for shipment of grain. or like material. hut is required for shipping other freight which does not require the use of the door. the latter may he put in a position where it will he out of the way and not interfere with the handling of the freight. Under these conditions the leaves are folded upon one another.

To assist in the convenient disposition of the door when it is not in use it is provided with hooks. 28. that project from the upper edge of the leaves by which it may he suspended against the side of the car on the inside and thus take up but little space.

To support the leaves when opened out in closing position against the internal pressure of the grain the leaves may he braced on the outside as by means of a chain. :29. attached at its ends to eyes. 30, on the outside of the leaves near the outer edge thereof. My door is of special value and importance in shipping sheep. hogs and other animals. first. because. when the out-er. customary door is used. the animals in the ear cannot come in contact with the outer door. 31. and hinder it being slid to open and close. and. second. in removing the animals one leaf may he opened only enough to allow the passage of one animal at a time. For live stock ears. the leaves will preferably he made of spaced slats or liars. Of course. for such use. no toothed plates. 22, will he pro vided as they might injure the animals.

What I claim is:

A car door comprising two leaves hinged to swing in one direction from a position in which they aline, and means to prevent them swinging in the opposite direction. each of said leaves having at its free edge a projecting recess-entering lip. said lip being serrated.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

ISAAC L. EDWARDS. 

